Sorry I'm Late
by Marezuls
Summary: Ahlia is a zoologist ready to go to the beautiful world of Pandora, away from the barren planet of Earth, until things go awry and she must smuggle herself out of Earth to get to Pandora. Getting there isn't the hard part though. OC x Tsu'tey
1. Earth: A Prison of Concrete

She muttered under her breath as she walked through the front door of her apartment, clenching a stiff piece of paper and its corresponding recently torn envelope in her right hand. She dropped her satchel bag on the floor, kicked her sneakers of roughly and threw herself on the black leather sofa. She read through the letter again, "This can't be, they can't do this!" she said to the dim, empty room. The letter, with the logo of the Avatar Program on the top right corner was crisp white, a stark contrast to her dark clothing.

"_Ms Ahlia Tennant,_

_It is with sadness I inform you of a recent issue with your avatar. Unfortunately, the DNA sample you provided was found to be contaminated, and the growth of your avatar has been halted, and the initial attempt destroyed. Another DNA will be required from your person in order to create a new avatar for your scientific field trip to Pandora. _

_I understand that this will make it unable for you to be able to travel with the next vessel leaving at 0600 hours on the 16__th__ of June; however you should be able to be eligible for the second trip leaving on the 18__th __March the following year if a DNA sample is acquired before the 10th of February._

_We apologise for the delay in your trip,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Dr Morris Grey_

_Head of Avatar Program"_

Ahlia sighed. Unfortunately, reading the letter again seems to not affect the truth – she would have to wait another nine months to go on the next vessel; which according to the rumours going around may not be sent as the shareholders of the mining operation for Pandora, who run the whole show don't like sending scientists to research the planet until they get results from the mining operation.

She lay on the couch for a few more minutes. She was meant to leave next Monday for Pandora, but obviously this wasn't going to happen. She thought for a moment. Now that she was over the initial shock and anger at whoever contaminated her avatar she began to think of ways to get to Pandora without waiting for the military shuttles.

It only takes approximately a month for an avatar to have grown to a point where it would be stable for the six or so years it would take to get from Earth to Pandora. So if hers was to begin to grow say, tomorrow, that meant that she would have a stable avatar by August. She had her own interstellar vessel, as her parents lived on a planet in an adjacent galaxy and that was the only way to see them more than once every three years on a public vessel.

She got off the couch and began to pace around the small living room.

She had friends within the Avatar department who would probably help fit her ship out with the technology to keep her in stasis for the six years it would take to get her to Pandora, and to keep her avatar safe during the voyage. She could probably get there under her own steam.

She paused her pacing which her excited thinking had caused as she stumbled across the major problem. When she got to Pandora, wouldn't she be shot down by the trigger happy military? Unless she could contact the base beforehand - she needed the authentication codes...which her friend in the program might have?

She sighed again and walked into the small kitchen to get a glass of water. This was getting a more complicated problem than she had realised it would be. As she sipped her water, she decided to call up her friend Milda from the Avatar program for dinner, to see if this was even possible.

* * *

She turned off the car and grabbed her satchel bag from her passenger seat outside the restaurant. It was just a local one, but she and Milda had gone there whenever they needed some time where they didn't have to talk scientific jargon.

She walked up to the doors, her boots clomping on the pavement instead of the usual sneakers the only sign she had made an effort to dress up for this dinner.

The waiter walked her to the table where Milda was already waiting. Ahlia smiled as she saw her friend, who jumped up and hugged her around the middle as the waiter wandered back to the front desk.

"Hey Ahlia! How have you been doing? I haven't seen you for ages – I almost thought you'd forget to say goodbye to your old friend before you went off to Pandora for god knows how long!" Milda exclaimed, tapping the tabletop to show the menu on its surface, but keeping her eyes on her friends face.

"I would never dream of leaving without seeing you, but I'm not leaving next week Milda."

"What? But you've got to, they would've got your avatar up to a stable state by now you can't just leave them hanging – they'll be annoyed at you wasting millions of dollars you know"

"Nah I wouldn't do that," replied Ahlia with a small smile at her friend's reaction. "Apparently someone contaminated my avatar – so I can't leave till next year."

Milda's face fell, and her lips pressed into the hard line that showed she was angry or annoyed.

"That is such bullshit! Are they making you a new one? If not that's totally retarded. But either way, that's not much notice – I mean, everyone leaves in three days!"

"Yeah, I know Milda, so now, once I've just quit my job officially and packed and everything for this trip, they send me a stupid letter saying, oh sorry about screwing you over, we'll make you a new one that you can take in about a year!" Ahlia fumed.

"Wow. What are you going to do then? I thought they already replaced you at your work?"

"Oh I dunno. Sorry for going off like that, I just needed to talk to someone about it."

"Nah its okay Ahlia, I'm here whenever you need me, for anything." Milda reached over and patted Ahlia's hand softly.

"Anything?"

"Anything...wait what are you planning?" Milda asked as she noticed the look on her friend's face.

"Uh nothing."

"Come on Ahlia, I know you. You're planning something. Tell me?" Milda said with pleading eyes.

"Fine I'll tell you. Um, well since I have no job and was meant to leave soon, I was thinking if you could take over the growth of my new avatar and get it ready within a month I'll deck out my ship so it can take cryo and sustain the avatar...."

"Oh I see where you're going. That won't work you know – you'd get to Pandora, but as soon as you're there you'll need the authorisation codes so you can land and they won't shoot you. Also, you'll need to get your hands on an exopack – a military piece of technology created exclusively for the Pandora atmosphere. So how are you thinking you're going to be able to get there and it will be all hunky dory? Plus, with your old banged up thing you call a shit you'd probably get there hours before the next shuttle they're sending."

"Uh, okay for one thing, that shuttle might not even be going to Pandora – I've heard the shareholders won't pay for more scientists to go before they start receiving the unobtanium ores back from Pandora. And about the exopack and the codes...I'm thinking you could help me?" Ahlia looked hopeful as she looked towards her friend.

"Oh I dunno..." Milda began, pausing as the waiter walked towards them.

"Hi, are you ready to order?" the young man said politely.

"Uh yea I'll have the costa chicken with rice and a glass of water thanks," Ahlia quickly ordered her favourite – she always ordered it.

"And for you miss?"

"Uhm, the jungo lamb thanks. Oh and with a lemonade. Thank you"

Once the waiter had walked away Ahlia looked at her friend who sat staring back at her.

"I could get these for you. But you realise, if anyone found out I could lose my job – they wouldn't care about the fact you were already meant to be there."

"I know Milda, but please, it's all I've ever wanted to do when I heard. Can you imagine a world of plants? The only plants we have here are in gardens – carefully planted and kept alive in greenhouses. Please Milda!"

Milda sighed in defeat. "Fine Ahlia, I will. How about I meet you at my office tomorrow morning about nine. I'll start growing you a new avatar right away, and we'll work on those codes and stuff later."

"I love you Milda, you know I do," Ahlia said with gratitude as the waiter returned with their drinks.

"You so owe me" Milda said as the waiter walked away again.

"I know."

"This better be worth it"

"Oh it will be. If it helps you can say it's an early birthday present." Ahlia joked.

"Ha, yeah maybe Ahlia, weren't you going to turn twenty finally you youngin' on the day the shuttle leaves for Pandora?"

"Heh yea, oh well. I'll still get there and no one's going to stop me" Ahlia promised.

Their talking ceased as the food arrived and they ate until it was gone.

* * *

Ahlia held her mouth open wide as Milda took the necessary samples for the growth of the new avatar.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking any chances that these will get contaminated" said Milda from behind a medical mask.

"Good to know" Ahlia said, closing her mouth.

Milda put the samples in all the various bottles and carried them over to the DNA splicing station to splice the DNA with the native DNA of the Pandoran natives.

"You know, I think you should actually learn the native language. I know you haven't already you lazy woman."

"What Na'vi? That annoying language. I can't speak it no matter how hard I try Milda, so what's the point? Others can speak it for me."

"Yes, but what if you were stuck in the forest and ran into a Na'vi? You'd be screwed, that's what."

Ahlia shrugged. She knew she probably should learn it, but the language was worse than French, and she had to do three months of that in university, which equated to about two years work of everyone else.

"Okay, that's all done, you're avatar will be ready for transport in about four weeks Ahlia."

"Awesome," Ahlia smiled knowing her hopes weren't all dashed for going to Pandora.

"Now about the codes and the exopack. I've heard that this guy can get them, so you'll have to go see him. You'd probably want to buy a really good A.I. autopilot for your shuttle so you'll wake up when you get there and stuff, so go get that too. Stock up on supplies, buy some weapons just in case. Good luck Ahlia I'll see you in a month to transport your avatar." Milda said, handing Ahlia a business card and a list of supplies for the trip.

"Thanks Milda, you're the best"

Milda smiled, "I know."


	2. In a Blink of an Eye

Ahlia heaved and pushed the last box onto the shuttle. The exopack was in the cockpit, a cryo bed was in her quarters and boxes were tied down all over the shuttle. There was only one more thing.

She stared outside into the steadily falling rain that hit the bitumen and concrete all around the ship, and watched as a non-descript white truck pulled up and reversed towards the opening of the ship. Ahlia walked forwards and smiled as her friend came into view, and watched as she hit a button on the back of the truck, which caused the back to lower down and a big blue aquarium looking thing be winched out and into the shuttle. Ahlia stared in awe at the small Na'vi female floating within the clear, but slightly luminous liquid, a mechanical replacement of an umbilical cord protruding from her stomach giving her life. She looked closer and noticed the slight familiarities between the youngling and herself, however the avatar's features were definitely strange, and still looked childish.

Overcome by the emotion and joy at the fact that she is actually going to leave for Pandora to be part of the Avatar program she was meant to she rushed out into the rain and hugged her best friend.

Milda hugged back laughing and then pulled back to look into Ahlia's eyes. "I hope you have fun. Good luck Ahlia, go and explore and be happy."

Ahlia smiled back and retreated back into her ship. Moments later the ship rose and travelled upwards through the turbulent atmosphere, leaving Milda staring after, rain coating the harsh artificial landscape.

* * *

Ahlia awoke in a daze, her body floating slightly, straining against the bands that held her in place as the cryo bed opened and her eyes got assaulted by the harsh artificial light of the ship.

"Miss Ahlia" a computerised voice rang out from the ships speakers.

"Yes?" Ahlia's parched throat croaked.

"We are approximately two hours from our destination, I thought you may like to get ready" the A.I. pilot replied.

"Thanks Marvin," Ahlia replied before getting to work on unfastening the many tubes and belts holding her to the cryo chamber.

She pushed herself up and out and floated over towards the cabinet with her clothes, and proceeded to have a fun time of getting dressed in zero gravity. Once dressed, she propelled herself towards the food and liquid cabinet and grabbed some water, drinking it through a straw.

She hummed contentedly as her throat was moistened by the water, and continued up to the cockpit via a ladder.

"Hey Marvin, good trip?" she asked the hologram projected on the dashboard.

"Rather uneventful, Miss. Up ahead is Pandora"

Ahlia stared, mouth agape at the glimmering green and blue world of Pandora through the small glass screen.

"Wow" she breathed.

"Yes Miss, we will be entering the atmosphere in approximately thirty minutes, I will make sure to send the authorisation codes before we get within weapon's range of the base. I would advise you to keep your exopack on your person at all times within this atmosphere, it is not suitable for your physiology."

"Awesome, thanks Marvin."

* * *

The computer beeped within the dark base alerting its operator of an incoming ship. Said operator only woke from his afternoon nap by the computer giving off a high keening beeping sound as the authorisation codes were received. Max jolted awake and almost fell off his chair, pressing various buttons to bring up the authorisation code transmission. He paused his contact with Jake Sully when he realised the ship was not another military shuttle like the one they had chased out of Pandora a little over six months ago, puzzled, he pressed the transmit button anyway.

"Yes Max?" Jake's voice filled the room.

"Uh, Hi Jake. Um, we have a problem here."

"What is it? More sky people?"

"No, well yes, but it's only a small personal transport vessel"

"Strange"

"That's what I thought too"

"I'll be at the base in about half an hour Max, tell them we allow them to land, and we'll see who it is before we decide what to do next."

"Okay" Max replied before sending an affirmative transmission towards the ship, allowing them permission to land within Hell's Gate.

* * *

"Miss, we have an affirmative for landing, we'll be there in approximately forty minutes"

"Good stuff Marvin, thanks" Ahlia replied, before walking down into her quarters and buckling her weapons, consisting of a pistol and a hunting knife to her belt, before picking up her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and grabbing her battle rifle Milda insisted she bring before continuing down to where her avatar was.

She walked into the dark room with its soft blue glow from the tank and stared in awe at the fully grown avatar that now resided in the tank, her soft blue patterned skin coating a lithe and athletic looking body, as unlike as to Ahlia's slightly chubby but still lean human body as could be. A single thick black braid floated in the water, and long black hair hung around the avatar's face. Ahlia paused on her avatar's face. It looked just like her, but the nose was flatter and slightly wider. Thick black lashes trimmed the closed eyes of the avatar as it floated in the liquid.

"We'll be touching down in ten minutes miss" echoed Marvin's voice from the speakers, jolting Ahlia out of her appreciative reverie of her avatar's naked form within the tank.

She breathed deeply as she prepared for landing on this new and beautiful new world.

* * *

Jake landed his Ikran gently on the concrete within Hell's Gate and stared down at Max who was standing by the door wearing an exopack to protect him from the toxic atmosphere.

"They'll be here in about five minutes Jake" Max said his voice wavering slightly, nervous about what the arrival of another human on Pandora meant.

"Okay, it'll be fine Max, don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out"

Jake looked down at him with a disbelieving smile.

"Okay maybe I am, but what if this means the humans are coming back?"

"They wouldn't be, the shuttle we sent back wouldn't have even got a sixth of the way back to Earth yet, and they wouldn't know what has happened."

"So then why is this ship here now?"

"I suppose we'll see," said Jake, tilting his head upwards towards the atmosphere towards a ship travelling towards them.

* * *

Ahlia breathed slowly through the exopack as the door lowered down onto the tarmac, the heat easily visible through the different atmosphere as it flooded the ship. She pulled her backpack tighter onto her shoulders and held her rifle in a way that she hoped didn't look threatening to whoever met her outside in an attempt to not get shot by the trigger happy marines. She kept her eyes on her feet so she wouldn't fall over and only looked up as she got onto even ground, the heat enveloping her body a refreshing change to the cool interior of her ship. She raised her eyes and stared at the ten foot tall Na'vi warrior who's bow was held in one hand unthreateningly pointing towards the ground, but with a bow knocked into placed for quick firing. He was only wearing a loincloth and a piece of fabric resembling leather around his long blue waist and she found it hard to look away from his muscled body to notice the small human in a white lab coat standing next to the Na'vi.

"Uh, Hi. My name is Ahlia Tennant and I'm a member of the Avatar Program" she spoke confidently although she continued to stare nervously at the Na'vi and his bow, with an arrow that was about as long as her own leg.

The two males exchanged glances before the Na'vi spoke in flawless English, "If you are part of the Avatar Program, then why are you here now, and all alone? Where is your avatar?"

Pushing her awe for his speaking English aside, Ahlia replied, "They destroyed my first avatar when its DNA was corrupted, and I was given a new one. By this time the shuttle had already left and so I decided to make my own way here" She had opted for telling the truth since there didn't seem to be any other people here, which she thought was strange. "My avatar is onboard."

"Are you a scientist?" the human male said.

"Yes, I'm a zoologist."

"Then why do you have such weapons?" the Na'vi asked.

"I was told it was a good idea by the friend who helped me here. I've only ever shot a gun a few times, and I've never shot anyone before. I'm just a scientist."

The Na'vi looked down at the human, "What do you reckon Max? Should we let her stay? She doesn't seem to be like the others we made leave."

So the human was called Max, but why is this Na'vi so friendly to him and why does he seem to be in charge? And wait, who did they make leave? Ahlia thought to herself curiously.

"I can't see the harm." Max replied, to which the Na'vi nodded in agreement. "Ahlia, if you cause any trouble we'll either send you back or kick you out into the forest and let the Thanator and the Viper Wolves get you. Is that understood?"

Ahlia's face turned to one of horror as the Na'vi chuckled lightly, "Yes, I understand. Um, so what now?"

"We'll get your avatar inside, and set up the link if you want." Max said. "Then maybe Jake here can give you a grand tour of Pandora." He poked the blue man in the stomach as he said it.

Jake, who Ahlia only now realised, was an avatar as she looked at his five fingered hands grasping his bow, rolled his eyes but nodded his assent to the plan.

* * *

Once they had managed to get the avatar tank into the base, Max and Ahlia were covered in sweat, whilst Jake looked barely ruffled, though he had done the most lifting. Ahlia couldn't help but be jealous of his muscular blue body, and couldn't wait until she was in her own avatar.

"So Max, do you have your own avatar?" she asked.

Max looked somewhat sheepish when he answered, "Uh, no you see, I'm just an avatar driver, I link people in and out and check there vitals whilst they run around and ten foot tall blue people like Jake here. And I guess you too soon."

Ahlia smiled. "So how soon would that be?"

Max looked at Jake, who answered. "Well, I guess right now would work. Go dump your stuff somewhere and follow Max through to the link room. I'll go to the room where your avatar will be and get her ready."

Ahlia nodded and followed Max through the repetitive and clinical hallways that reminded her of Earth towards the link room, where she dumped her bag just inside the doorway and looked through a window into a room where Jake was carrying her limp and naked avatar body onto a gurney from the tank. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed as Jake – who looked quite ridiculous as a Na'vi warrior inside a clinically white hospital-like room, dressed her avatar's naked body with a hospital gown. I mean, it was technically her body. Just one that was part Na'vi.

"Ahlia, come over here," Max said standing at one of the link chambers inputting selections on the control panel adjacent to it.

Ahlia walked over obediently and sat down in the link chamber which Max had patted.

"So have you linked before?" Max asked.

"Uh, yeah like fifty hours" she replied.

"Oh good. Do you know much Na'vi?"

"You mean the language. Eh, hell no. I don't like it."

"Well you might have to work on that," Max said wryly as he pushed Ahlia's shoulder down into the link bed.

Ahlia lay down on the link bed and pulled the wire framework that hugs her body down.

"Good luck, I'll be linking you with your avatar now, we'll just check it's all good before Jake takes you out to meet the Omitacaya."

"The who?"

Max looked down at her in shock, "How do you not know? They are the tribe of natives closest to this base."

"Oh, okay..." Ahlia murmured, feeling way out of her depth.

"Okay, get ready, make your mind go blank and what-not." Max said whilst simultaneously shutting the lid.

Ahlia had a brief moment of thinking how lucky she was that she wasn't claustrophobic until she closed her eyes and made her mind go blank.


	3. Flight through the Blue

Once they had managed to get the avatar tank into the base, Max and Ahlia were covered in sweat, whilst Jake looked barely ruffled, though he had done the most lifting. Ahlia couldn't help but be jealous of his muscular blue body, and couldn't wait until she was in her own avatar.

"So Max, do you have your own avatar?" she asked.

Max looked somewhat sheepish when he answered, "Uh, no you see, I'm just an avatar driver, I link people in and out and check there vitals whilst they run around and ten foot tall blue people like Jake here. And I guess you too soon."

Ahlia smiled. "So how soon would that be?"

Max looked at Jake, who answered. "Well, I guess right now would work. Go dump your stuff somewhere and follow Max through to the link room. I'll go to the room where your avatar will be and get her ready."

Ahlia nodded and followed Max through the repetitive and clinical hallways that reminded her of Earth towards the link room, where she dumped her bag just inside the doorway and looked through a window into a room where Jake was carrying her limp and naked avatar body onto a gurney from the tank. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed as Jake – who looked quite ridiculous as a Na'vi warrior inside a clinically white hospital-like room, dressed her avatar's naked body with a hospital gown. I mean, it was technically her body. Just one that was part Na'vi.

"Ahlia, come over here," Max said standing at one of the link chambers inputting selections on the control panel adjacent to it.

Ahlia walked over obediently and sat down in the link chamber which Max had patted.

"So have you linked before?" Max asked.

"Uh, yeah like fifty hours" she replied.

"Oh good. Do you know much Na'vi?"

"You mean the language. Eh, hell no. I don't like it."

"Well you might have to work on that," Max said wryly as he pushed Ahlia's shoulder down into the link bed.

Ahlia lay down on the link bed and pulled the wire framework that hugs her body down.

"Good luck, I'll be linking you with your avatar now, we'll just check it's all good before Jake takes you out to meet the Omitacaya."

"The who?"

Max looked down at her in shock, "How do you not know? They are the tribe of natives closest to this base."

"Oh, okay..." Ahlia murmured, feeling way out of her depth.

"Okay, get ready, make your mind go blank and what-not." Max said whilst simultaneously shutting the lid.

Ahlia had a brief moment of thinking how lucky she was that she wasn't claustrophobic until she closed her eyes and made her mind go blank.

* * *

Bright yellow eyes opened within a smooth blue face and dark pupils contracted against the invading fluorescent light. Her ears twitched as someone clicked their fingers next to them, and she began to focus on another blue face above her.

"Ahlia, are you okay? Can you move your fingers?"

She paused for a moment; everything sounded louder with these ears, and then wiggled her fingers.

"Good, and your toes?"

She sat up slowly and looked down at her blue toes as they moved. "Woah"

Jake laughed, "You remind me of me when I woke up in my avatar body"

"Really? Where is your human body Jake?" Ahlia asked out of interest.

"Oh, uhm well technically my human body is dead and buried in the forest. This is my body now," Jake said whilst poking Ahlia's feet.

"Hey, why are you doing that?"

"No reason, just was wondering what you'd do if I did it" Jake said smiling down with his longer canine teeth showing past his lips.

"Can I get up now?" Ahlia sighed.

"Oh yea sure. Let's go then shall we? Max will stay here and monitor your link."

Ahlia lifted herself up off the gurney and almost fell over as she tried to balance herself. Jake stopped her from falling by holding her around her middle and hand whilst she balanced.

"Use your tail, it's there for a reason." Jake said.

She twisted herself and stared at her tail. "Oh my god I have a tail!" she squealed.

"Uh yea." Jake said, looking amused.

"Okay let's go," Ahlia looked at him eagerly.

"Okay, hey Max!" Jake yelled towards the window.

"Yeah?" Max darted into view.

"I'll be off back to hometree, you mind staying here and watching over things?"

"Yea sure no problem. Have fun there Jake." Max smiled knowingly at Jake.

Ahlia ignored them and wandered outside, looking rather awkward walking in a zigzagged line in a hospital gown whilst Jake walked next to her like a cat.

"Let's stop by the old avatar hut and get you some clothes hey?" Jake said laughing slightly.

Ahlia almost growled at how he seemed to think what she was doing was so funny, but then realised he would have looked just as funny when he awoke in his avatar body. She followed him through a garden that was beginning to take over the paths up to an open shack like structure, where Jake walked towards a cabinet along the back wall and brought out a pair of khaki shorts, a black shirt with the RDA logo on it and some brown combat boots. He turned around as she dressed, finding poking her tail through a small hole in the back of the shorts a trying experience.

"You all good now?" Jake asked.

"Yeah let's go." Ahlia replied, and followed as he began to walk back to the area where her ship was.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked.

"We're going to fly back to hometree, or else it would take half a day to walk there on foot. Personally, I'd rather not have to fall and break your neck traversing along the treetops. Not on your first day. Also, I'm rather partial to eating dinner tonight." He said plainly.

"Oh. Are we going to go in a scorpion?"

He laughed, "No, we're going by Ikran." He made a high-pitched cry and looked towards the west.

A large dinosaur like creature flew over the base wall and landed rather gracefully a few feet away from them. Ahlia stared with her mouth agape at the magnificent creature.

"Don't look in his eye. He'll get pissed." Jake said.

Ahlia slapped herself mentally. She was a zoologist, animals were her specialty - she should have known that. She stared in rapture as Jake took his braid and held it out to the animal, which held out the tentacle like things behind its head towards Jake's braid and took hold of it somehow. Jake vaulted easily up the animals back and crouched across its neck.

"Come on Ahlia, come up here." He smiled down at her, thinking she would be afraid.

She moved forward and pulled herself up behind the blue man, holding onto his thin blue waist in fear of falling off.

Jake chuckled softly before giving a sharp cry and without further ado the Ikran flew upwards into the sky. Ahlia gazed out in wonder at the thick carpet of forest beneath them and around them as they flew north through the landscape.

"How do you control this creature?" she asked, interested as Jake seemed to have only been holding onto the beast's tentacle things as a way to stop from falling off.

"Mind control" he said in a mysterious tone.

"Oh come on, don't joke with me." She poked him in the back to accentuate her point.

"No seriously. The Na'vi called is Sahelu, or The Bond. Our braids allow us a direct link to Eywa, the mother of the planet. In the same way, they allow us to use animals as means of transport. However unlike the horses on Earth, it's more like a mutual friendship between Na'vi and beast. If I think "bank left" in my mind, my Ikran will do so, see." He explained as the Ikran swerved slightly to the left.

"Wow, that's awesome." She said in awe.

"Wanna know what else is awesome? See that big tree over there?" Ahlia followed the way he was pointing and nodded against his shoulder, "That's where I live."

"Very awesome," she smiled.

"Well I used to live in another one, but that one was destroyed," he said with a sullen tone.

"That's terrible, how was it destroyed?"

"I'll tell you later, we'll be home soon." He murmured.

* * *

**Author's Note: Uh so if anybody has an idea of what to call each animals "tentacle things". i couldn't think of a good name :| is there actually a proper name? ;)**

**Anyhoo, thanks for reading :)  
**


	4. Hometree: A Natural Spiral Staircase

The Ikran landed in the upper branches of hometree and as Ahlia was climbing down of the powerful flying creature, two more Na'vi approached from a hole in the trunk of the tree. The male of the pair sported a scar across his left shoulder that looked newly formed, and did not have so many braids or adornments in his hair or around his neck as did Jake. He also only wore a simple loincloth without the waist piece that Jake wore. The female was wearing a loincloth and a beaded necklace which obscured her breasts, and her hair was intricately braided. She continued walking forward to Jake whilst the other hung back and stared at Ahlia, and when she reached him she put one four fingered hand on the side of his face and said something in Na'vi. She assumed it was something like "I love you" or something because Jake placed his hand behind her neck and kissed her gently. When they were done with their greeting, Jake spoke to the male Na'vi.

"Hey Norm, how was your day?"

"Quite good thanks Jake." He replied shortly, "And who is this?"

Jake looked towards Ahlia in her entirely RDA clothed glory, "Uh, this is Ahlia, apparently she was meant to come to Pandora on our shuttle as part of the Avatar Program, but her avatar died or something – don't ask me I'm not a scientist – and so she made her own way here with a new avatar. She's the only one who came, so I thought she might as well come here and live with us."

The female spoke, "If she intends to live with us she shall have to get some proper attire".

Jake smiled at her, "Oh I agree Neytiri, which is where I thought you could help. Could you go get Ahlia some proper clothing whilst I talk to Norm?"

Neytiri nodded, "Certainly."

Ahlia followed the lithe and light-footed woman into the tree, shocked when she found a spiral trunk within that seemed to go the entire height of the tree. Fungi grew on the trunk acting as a type of staircase, which allowed even Ahlia in her uncoordinated body to walk down. They went down for about a quarter of the way, where there was a platform with animal skins hanging around, presumably to be made into clothing. Neytiri stepped forward and picked up a loincloth and some riding leggings which were usually worn by the female Ikran riders whilst flying and handed them to Ahlia.

"Uh, do I get a shirt or something?" Ahlia blushed slightly.

"You won't require one; all Na'vi females don't wear "shirts" as you call them." Neytiri said in a tone that broached no argument.

Neytiri reached forward and picked up a large feathered necklace and handed it to Ahlia, "If it offends your modesty so much, wear this."

Ahlia took it from her and looked at Neytiri for a moment before assessing that the woman would not turn away or leave whilst she change not like Jake had. She sighed and proceeded to get dressed in front of the Na'vi.

Once she was 'properly attired' and feeling very exposed, they continued to the lowest level of hometree. Here, the rest of the Na'vi gathered for their night meal crouched around large fires. Neytiri weaved casually through her brethren and stood in a gap near what seemed to be the focal point of the circle. Ahlia walked towards her, making care not to step on anyone's tails, and was pushed down next to Neytiri before Neytiri crouched beside her. Moments later, Jake and Norm entered the circle and moved towards them, crouching on either side.

After a few moments where Ahlia just stared around at the Na'vi as they talked easily amongst themselves, a flurry of movement near the ground level entrance to hometree announced the return of the hunting party. The leader of the hunting party seemed slightly taller than the rest, strongly built with wide shoulders and his bow slung across them as he helped his brothers to carry a large dead animal towards the fire. On closer inspection, Ahlia decided that this animal most likely was the closest to an earth deer or moose as you could get on Pandora, but without the horns.

"Tsu'tey!" Jake rose to embrace his clan-brother, "How was the hunt?"

The tall Na'vi, the leader of the hunt who was called Tsu'tey, replied "Good Jakesully, why are we speaking English?"

Jake gestured towards Ahlia, "Because she does not understand Na'vi, I'm going to speak in English, or she won't understand a thing that's happening."

Tsu'tey grinned, "**Perhaps she should learn then, brother**" he replied in Na'vi.

"**Are you volunteering to teach her?**" Jake replied with a smirk.

"**I have no time to waste on a dream walker, I have hunters to train,**" Tsu'tey retracted.

"**Well that's good you say that, because Norm and I decided she might as well learn how to look after herself so no one else has to babysit her. You'll be teaching her to be a hunter**" Jake replied.

Tsu'tey stared at his clan chieftain in annoyance. "Fine" he snapped in English, taking his seat near Jake and the others.

Ahlia crouched, trying to blend into the background as the rest of the clan stared at her in interest after whatever the men had been saying. Jake went and crouched in between her and Neytiri and leaned towards her to explain.

"Tsu'tey will be your teacher; I've decided that you should learn how to look after yourself so we don't have to do it for you. He'll teach you how to fight, how to track prey and how to speak our language so you may become one of the people, and eventually fly your own Ikran."

Ahlia stared at Jake, speechless for a moment before her brain caught up to her tongue, "But, I'm a scientist – I don't fight. Like, at all."

"You'll be fine," Jake replied, patting her arm before taking a piece of cooked meat from one of the hunters who then proceeded to give Ahlia a piece as well. She stared at the purplish meat dubiously.

"Tastes like chicken," Norm said next to her, before biting into his own piece with relish.

Ahlia swallowed her doubts and took a tentative bite. It was the perfect mix of salty and sweet meat, and definitely tasted closer to chicken than any other meat she had tried. She smiled as she swallowed, before murmuring a quiet thanks to Norm for his reassurance.

* * *

After night meal, Jake had a young female hunter assigned to show Ahlia around for the first few weeks she was here, called Setira. Setira was dressed similarly to Ahlia, but had a knife across her chest. Satira smiled gently at Ahlia, who smiled back and gestured for Ahlia to follow her up the tree.

After walking along a branch, Satira jumped down and lowered herself into a basket-like hammock hanging beneath the branch. After some reservation, Ahlia followed suit, surprising herself at how her avatar body seemed to have strength enough to hold her own wait whereas her own human body could barely open a jar.

"Goodnight," she heard Satira say before her new-found friend touched the edge of the hammock, which then glowed and enveloped her within it. I guess that's the way they don't fall out whilst sleeping, she mused before doing the same to her own and closed her eyes.

* * *

Her blue eyes opened within her pale face as she awoke within her human body. She sat up out of the link chamber groggily and Max came towards her with a glass of water and what looked like an energy bar. She took the water thankfully and slugged it down before grabbing the energy bar.

"Well this is weird, I just ate but I'm starving now. Gotta love having two bodies."

Max looked slightly amused before replying, "I've put your bag into your quarters, you should sleep, and you'll have to be back here tomorrow early to link with your avatar. In hometree, the day begins early."

Ahlia followed him through the corridors to a small room with a simple bed, desk and chair set-up, with a door presumably leading to a bathroom to one side.

She walked in, kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the bed, mumbling a goodnight to Max as he walked off to his own quarters down the hall.


	5. Training: How to Climb Over a Log

Ahlia opened her eyes to a striped view of the inside of a tree. Oh, she was lying face down and could see the vast expanse of nothingness below her through her hammock.

"Ahlia, wake up. We have day meal now." She heard a female Na'vi say in hesitant English.

She rose carefully on her hammock keeping her weight even so she wouldn't flip it over and fall to her death and looked up at Satira, who was crouching on the branch above staring down at her.

"Morning" Ahlia said simply as she carefully reached up and grabbed the branch and began to hoist herself up. It took her three tries to be able to hook one long and blue leg over the branch in order to get up, whilst Satira laughed softly at Ahlia's attempts. Ahlia finally got up on the branch and glared at Satira, who smiled an apology before gesturing for Ahlia to follow her back to the base of the tree.

Ahlia struggled to keep up with the lean limbed young woman ahead of her as they made their way to where they ate night meal last night with the rest of the clan. She almost sighed in relief when her large blue feet met solid ground and she could finally pay attention to her surroundings rather than just paying attention to how she walked. She looked around. The large central fire, whilst still burning brightly was not as large as it was last night and the clan members were already crouching in small huddles munching on large purple fruits that resembled an eggplant on Earth. She easily picked out Jake with his bright yellow feathers within his hair handing a fruit to Neytiri, who seemed to be his mate by the small touches on his arms and legs that she seemed to give him without realising. Ahlia couldn't help but wonder how they got together.

Satira grasped Ahlia's hand and pulled her forward to a woven basket containing the fruits and handed one to Ahlia, who accepted it with a smile before being dragged over to Norm, Jake, Neytiri and Tsu'tey, who were sitting in a small huddle near a skull of a large animal with sharp teeth which stared out across the fire.

"Morning Ahlia," Norm said before biting into his own fruit with a loud squelching noise whilst Ahlia crouched between him and the big male Tsu'tey.

Jake smiled slightly at his friend's antics before saying "Are you ready for today? You're going to be training with Tsu'tey here to become a hunter."

Ahlia froze with her lips an inch from the fruit. "Say what now? I'm a scientist Jake, I can't fight to save my own life."

"Which is exactly why Tsu'tey will teach you, otherwise we'll have to babysit you."

Ahlia frowned slightly, "I'm sure I'm not that bad..."

"No you are that bad. You wouldn't last a minute in the forest." Tsu'tey stated plainly without looking up, intent on his own fruit.

"Oh so you do speak English when you want to? That's good to know; now you'll understand me when I say that I can't do what you guys do. I'm not a soldier."

"You will learn." Said Neytiri.

Ahlia sighed and bit into her fruit, pleasantly surprised by the deliciously sweet juice that ran down her throat. "Fine then, you can try teach me to become this hunter then." She conceded.

"He'll teach you how to converse in our native tongue also," Jake said in an authoritative voice.

Tsu'tey scowled into his fruit, the only sign he didn't like that idea and said nothing.

"Uh, that might be harder than teaching me how to fight..." Ahlia said truthfully.

"Nonetheless, that is what you will do."

Ahlia scowled into her fruit and kept quiet. Tsu'tey next to her had finished his fruit and stood.

"We may as well begin," he said resigned to his fate.

Ahlia looked up towards him and quickly looked down when she realised she could see beneath his loincloth, her face turning pink with embarrassment under the blue tone of her skin.

"**Look after her Tsu'tey. Teach her well.**" Jake said seriously, looking up at his brother as Ahlia stood.

"**I will,**" was his simple reply before walking outside the tree with Ahlia following behind him.

As soon as they were gone, Norm said "So do you think he'll be able to teach her?"

"Sure, he might want to murder her by the end of it though." Jake said musingly.

"What is your desired outcome from this?" Neytiri questioned her mate.

"Oh nothing really, it just gives her something to do so we can figure out her intentions."

"Good plan Jake." Norm said.

"Yes I thought so too," Jake smiled at his friend.

Neytiri sighed. This could go horribly wrong, but she supposed this was the best way to get to know about Ahlia.

* * *

Ahlia followed Tsu'tey a short walk towards the floodplains saddling the river, and gasped as she saw a large herd of about twenty horses like animals standing in the mud living their lives.

"Eventually you will be able to ride your own horse. But for now, we'll have to walk." Tsu'tey spoke back to Ahlia with a smirk lacing the tone of his voice.

Ahlia couldn't help but think that Tsu'tey had only shown her the horses to annoy her at the prospect of walking such a long distance, and she had a feeling she was right when Tsu'tey gleefully announced that it would take them two hours to get to wherever he was taking them.

Ahlia sighed internally before following the lean blue alien across the shallow river and into the forest. They walked that way for quite a while, with Tsu'tey leading and Ahlia following, her eyes taking in the green landscape that surrounded her, one that was absent on Earth. Here and there they encountered docile animals that looked like the one they had eaten the night before for night meal, but they ignored the two blue beings that walked by.

They began to descend down a slight slope, and whilst Tsu'tey appeared to make barely a sound as he picked his way down the slope, Ahlia managed to brush against every loud fern with her legs.

"Must you be so loud?" Tsu'tey commented in front, annoyance lacing his tone.

"Um yea, I have to. Mainly because I'm not used to walking through a forest, or any plants cape for that matter! So you'll have to just deal." Ahlia snapped, to which Tsu'tey rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

Ahlia stared holes in the back of Tsu'tey's head, not noticing until Tsu'tey had stopped that they had come to where a large tree had fallen, with green moss coating its dying branches.

Tsu'tey looked back at the dream walker female, "Climb" he said simply.

Ahlia looked up at the tree's trunk, which towered above their heads, moss coating the rough bark which was shining in the meagre sunlight that reached the understory of the forest.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Tsu'tey refrained from rolling his eyes at the female's reply and replied, "No, I'm not. Climb"

Ahlia looked for footholds in the bark and reached towards the nearest one with her right hand.

"Faster, we don't have all day." Tsu'tey came to stand behind the female as she put her other hand in another foothold within the bark and began locating some for her feet.

"Faster..." he whispered in her left ear, causing the ear to twitch and Ahlia's back to stiffen.

"Fine," she growled as she pulled herself up on the side of the tree and used her left hand to find the next hold.

"Come on, a child would climb quicker than you." Tsu'tey said loudly.

Ahlia resisted the urge to turn around and tackle him to the ground and instead pulled herself up, one, and then two more times.

She heard a soft sound to her right and saw something blue blur upwards towards the top of the tree trunk but ignored it and focused on climbing.

"Female," came a voice from above her.

She raised her yellow eyes from the green coated bark in front of her and looked up into the face of Tsu'tey, who was crouched on the top of the tree with his hand reaching down towards her. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her up onto the tree.

"If I had let you keep going, we would have been here forever." Tsu'tey explained before letting go of her hand and turning around as he began to run along the length of the tree trunk.

Ahlia paused, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance before she ran after him, catching up quickly to Tsu'tey's easy jog.

After half an hour or so, Tsu'tey suddenly jumped off the tree trunk and ran towards where a thick branch grew down near the ground, before swinging himself up and running easily up it.

Ahlia, after a moment of hesitation decided that following him was probably better than being left behind, even if she was convinced that she would fall off and die. As it was she almost couldn't swing herself up onto the branch, but she managed after a short moment of random jerky movements to find a way to swing her body forward and up onto it.

She looked up the length of the branch and saw Tsu'tey running away, and groaned softly in defeat as she began to follow him at a slower, more careful pace.

After about ten minutes of running along the seemingly unending branch, she saw Tsu'tey sitting cross-legged facing her with impatience in his eyes.

"You run so slow," Tsu'tey complained as Ahlia reached him and began the arduous task of trying to sit cross legged without showing him anything more than she had to in this skimpy loin cloth.

Tsu'tey rolled his eyes at her awkward movements – he'd seen all of it before. He looked away anyway so she would hurry up in her seating of herself, but still could not understand the dream walker's aversion to nudity, which Jakesully had shown briefly when he first came here to become one of the people, but never to the degree of the woman in front of him.

In his peripheral vision he saw that the female had finally seated herself and returned his gaze to her face. He just sat quietly and scrutinised her softly curved nose, high cheekbones and full lips and her bright, intense eyes that were gazing at him just as closely. He briefly wondered what she was thinking before she interrupted his train of thoughts.

"So are we actually going to do anything or are you just going to sit there and stare at me?" she said, a tinge of annoyance lacing her tone as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He almost smirked at her unsuccessful attempt to make it so he could not see her chest, but instead replied, "You are to learn our language. Let's start now."

Ahlia's face went blank and she sighed before resigning herself to learning the language of the Na'vi.


End file.
